The smartphones are invading everything, including video games. And this is probably why video games are invading right back. The following are our favourite smartphone versions of video game franchises we all love.

Max Payne Mobile

It’s been more than a decade since the release of the original Max Payne on the PC when publisher Rockstar Games decided to bring the iconic shooter into smartphones. The result is Max Payne Mobile, which is essentially the same game with a few new tricks: HD graphics, customisable touch screen controls and support for Rockstar Social Club. Not a touch screen fan? Play it with a USB controller. More →

Smartphone users who are serious about gaming will have something to look forward to next week when ZTE releases a new smartphone that has gaming in its DNA.

ZTE made an announcement through Twitter that it is going to launch a new advanced gaming smartphone at a special event in London. The phrases “advanced gaming smartphone” came from ZTE itself so it’s going to really fire up the interest of smartphone gamers. More →

Have you ever played any of Zynga’s multiplayer enabled games and had trouble compelling your friends to play with you? Or maybe you’ve been playing Cityville and you want to increase the number of people you interact with? It was relatively difficult to find like-minded players before. Apparently, Zynga also thought so.

Zynga has now addressed the actual social aspects of its games by announcing the creation of Zynga With Friends, a social lobby where players of Zynga’s many games can meet and play regardless of the social network they’re using or the platform on which they play. More →

Zynga has decided to up the ante on its hit social multiplayer game Draw Something. The company has released the game in 12 different languages, which includes Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese and both simplified and traditional Chinese. Most of the new versions offer user interfaces that have already been translated to the supported language along with the accompanying dictionaries to truly enhance the gaming experience with the preferred language. More →

Draw Something has been a runaway success since it became available for iOS and Android smartphone and tablet users. It has generated the kind of interest and rabid following that Words with Friends generated before.

Zynga, the creators of Words with Friends and other hit games (and arguably the top social gaming developer in the world), knows a hit when it sees it, so instead of developing a Draw Something clone to compete with the hit app, they made the best move they can make – buy the developer of Draw Something. More →

Zynga is very intent on strengthening its already secure position as the top provider of casual games in the world. The company, who makes highly popular games like Words With Friends, has announced that it has recently bought four different mobile game companies over the last few months.

The acquisitions Zynga made, as told to Reuters, include Gamedoctors, a German company and the maker of the hit game ZombieSmash. Zynga also said that it has bought Astro Ape Studios, a New York based company. More →

We all know that gadgets and various internet technologies can really make a difference in our lives. But sometimes these benefits come at the most unusual places.

I bet you guys have read the news about Alec Baldwin being kicked off a plane because he insisted on playing Zynga’s highly addictive game Words With Friends. Before you think that Words With Friends is gaming crack, consider how this very same game saved a person’s life. More →

The Entertainment Software Rating Board or ESRB is an organization that gamers know quite well. It is the main organization that provides ratings for games in the United States. The ESRB’s domain has always been limited to video games that come out on game consoles, PCs and gaming handhelds. But the organization is now setting its sights on the fastest growing gaming niche in the market today, mobile devices.

The ESRB, along wth the CTIA Wireless Trade Association, is planning to release a new rating system that is aimed solely at mobile games. The unveiling is reportedly scheduled on November 29. The ESRB’s presentation will be held in Washington DC at an event that will be hosted by ESRB President Patricia Vance and CTIA President Steve Largent. The event is going to have some political flavor with US Senators Kelly Ayotte and Mark Pryor attending as well. More →

comScore has released the findings of its recent study on the mobile gaming industry.  Frankly, it didn’t surprised me at all to know that mobile gaming on smartphones have grown dramatically from 2009 to 2010. According to comScore’s data the number of gamers via smartphone has increased by 60% while gamers via feature phone have declined by 35%. This resulted in an overall decrease of 13% for mobile gamers in the U.S. Total percentage of mobile gamers via feature phones was 80% of the market.

There report also indicated that mobile gamers on smartphones were also heavier as compared to gamers on feature phones. Smartphone subscribers are three times more likely than feature phone subscribers to play games on their mobile devices at least once a month. Smartphone gamers are also five times more likely to play games almost everyday.

In terms of number of games installed in their mobile devices, the report found out that smartphone gamers install more apps than feature phone users. There were 27.3% of mobile gamers who have installed at least one game on their phones. For feature phones, it was only 5.6% of subscribers. Majority of the smartphone gamers have installed more than five games in their mobile devices.  And only less than 1% of the feature phone subscribers have installed that many apps on their phones.

And in case you’re interested to know, majority of the mobile gamers surveyed by comScore have the following top three games – arcade type, card, word or number.

There you go. If you’re a mobile app developer, you would be glad to know that this report points to one thing – the smartphone gaming niche is growing and more apps are certainly needed.

Fans of Mafia Wars on Facebook would be glad to know that Zynga, the game’s developer has just enabled full mobile access features.  Whereas previously, the game’s mobile feature only allows users to receive updates of what was happening with their games, the new mobile features now allows you to do more activities.

To register for this feature you need to register from the Mafia Wars Facebook app page.  The SMS Mobile feature link can be found from the HELP option on the main Mafia Wars page. You need to sign up your mobile phone number. And right after registration you can start sending “MAFIA” plus action commands such as “FF” for fighting your last opponent, “J” for doing a job and other available SMS commands.  Send your SMS to the number (623-42). To get a list of commands, simply send “? to the said number.

Now, while this might seem an honest move on Zynga to inrease the engagement level of Mafia Wars players, this may also lead these members to purchase virtual good via their mobile phones.

What I’m not really sure is how Facebook will take this mobile feature as it will certainly take away valuable site eyeballs on Facebook.com. Of course, since you will be using your mobile phones, be reminded that those SMS messages will entail charges on your end.  But if you don’t mind spending on SMS just to play Mafia Wars via text, then check out the new Mafia Wars Mobile feature.